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1903 




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I 




OLIVER PERRY MOSER 



THE TASK 

AND OTHER POEMS 




By Oliver Perry Moser, M. E. 

Principal Hi^Hlanci Avenvio Pxiblic 
ScHools ^ ^ Connellsville, Pa. 



THE t 

0O^■ 

Two Orw»t~P 



l9o 3 



Copyright, 1903, 

By OLIVER PERRY MOSER. 

AU Rights Reserved, 






®o iHs fltotljcr, 

tl)is Book 10 
:3lff2£tionatelB InscribeiJ 



proem 

How long, freemen, shall we list 
To Europe's courtly Muse; 
With culture, cold and barren, tryst. 
Heart utterance to lose? 

Base cowards we to worship at 
The shrine of Old World cult. 

While there, as here, humanity 
Hath richer far result. 

Whati Anglo Saxon sons grow tame, 

And imitators be; 
Too timid to assault the walls 
Tradition builds for thee? 

Too timid to assert thyself, 

Or soul divine command. 
Instinct discern, and on it not 

Indomitably stand? 

The Western world shall rise in might. 

Her younger spirit prove; 
The ever rolling stream of time 

Doth innovations groove. 

Then here's to thee, America; 

I'll now make my debut, 
On Literature's stage beneath 

The Red, White and Blue. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Task 13 

Prelude 15 

Part I • • // 

Part II 18 

Part III 20 

Part IV 22 

Instinct 2'/ 

''Come Unto Me'' 32 

The Message 34 

At the Bridge 36 

The Teacher 3g 

News Boys Home 41 

The Deserted Grave 43 

Friendship 43 

Lines 47 

Missionary and Martyr 48 

Centennial Ode 49 

Fort Pitt 5/ 

Marseilles 34 

King Alfred to his Troops 63 

From Acorn to Oak 66 

Part 1 66 

Part II 74 

Part III /p 



Ube XTasft ' 

Prelude. 

Of mind, imperial Potentate, 
Supremely blessed, ignoring fate; 

Of mind in its entirety, 

As feeling, thought, will, liberty; 

Of mind in each successive stage 
From infancy to riper age; 

Of mind in its desire to know, 
Soon as the infant wakes below; 

Of outer and of inner sense; 
Of mind in fullest competence 

To win that haven of the soul, 
Of man's intelligence the goal. 

This be our compass, — wake, Muse. 
And thy mysterious power infuse; 

That in these lines truth-gems may lie 
As stars that spangle the blue sky; 

That here grave Piety may dwell, 
And song like Orphean music swell. 



15 



I.— MIND EXISTS. 

That mind exists, where shall we go, 
On this broad earth, above, below, 
A stronger evidence to find. 
Than thine own self, immortal Mind. 

Profoundly thou hast thought and willed, 
Deep, secret mysteries revealed. 
Divinest song that ever stirred 
The soul, to thee must be referred. 

And not alone in deeds divine 
Does thy unfading glory shine; 
But self-perpetuating power 
Adds to thy worth a princely dower. 

Self-Consciousness the mind doth feel, 
Yet from itself doth self conceal. 
That mind in self-activity 
Doth never lose identity. 



17 



Our Consciousness doth testify. 
That mind is, thus we verify. 
But what it is, and where the line 
Between the human and Divine; 

Eternal, or by chance it be. 
Or did Almighty Power decree, — 
Man knoweth not, and must confess 
All speculation naught but guess. 



II.— MIND IS LIMITED. 

Eternal God, didst Thou in vain, 
The mind with wondrous power ordain? 
Didst ever thou the mind foreknow 
So weak, so feeble, and so low? 

Can mind its former state regain. 
Restore perfection, vice restrain? 
Opinions vary, — still we fmd 
A proper sphere for human mind. 



18 



Not circumscribed nor fixed it be 
To any station or degree 
Within man's power to will and know 
In this wide wreck of human woe. 

But mind may rise from sphere to sphere, 
From savage to divinest seer. 
By noble thought the mind may rise, 
By noble deed may enfranchise 

Itself from dire, ignoble vice, 
And up to purer realms entice. 
And Knowledge gives it wings to soar 
From earth to heaven evermore. 

But still, at last, a point we fmd 
Which marks the limit of the mind, 
Beyond this, man can never go; — 
'Tis meet that mortal, mortal know, 



19 



But mortal dare not God defy, 
Nor think with Deity to vie. 
Though limited, we still can see, 
In mind, completest liberty. 

Freedom to feel, to will, to know. 
Freedom to live and power to grow; 
Freedom to act in loyalty. 
Where God in wisdom doth decree. 



III.— MIND IS SELF-ACTIVE. 

Mind in its proper sphere doth move, 
Yet unconditioned none can prove. 
That mind itself may energize. 
Occasions certain must arise. 

Mind, governed by eternal laws, 
Its own causality doth cause. 
Thoughts, feelings, purposes await 
Mind's freedom to originate. 



20 



At first, we find in Deity, 
Inherent Self-activity. 
Since mind from Him directly came. 
The human the Divine must claim. 

So mind alone, of all that be, 
Reveals creative energy. 
Thou rising sun, encircling time. 
So great, so glorious, so sublime! 

Whence thy unfailing energy? 
Canst thou beget, create, decree? 
Of matter, in itself inert. 
To mind, first mover, we revert. • 

No source of motion can we find, 
But the impulsive force of mind. 
Thus Nature doth on nature act. 
Its forces balance and obstruct. 

Percussive and Explosive force. 
And EflFervescive we endorse. 
Above these forces still we see 
Vitality in brute and tree. 



21 



In Plants, this force, vitality, 

Is simple Spontaneity. 

The Brute a higher force must gain; 

Sensation here supreme doth reign. 

In Man this force must higher rise, 
And in Self-Consciousness it lies. 
Thus mind from matter separates, 
And its own acts discriminates 

Between low, rude vitality. 
And innate self-activity. 



IV.— EDUCATION. ^ 

Mind doth in various acts appear. 
Thought has a When but not a Where. 
To inner content none can trace 
The qualities of size and space. 



22 



Volitions, feeling, thought intense, 
Are contents of the inner sense, 
But outer objects all give rise 
To various forms and qualities. 

Yon aged oak that proudly waves 
Its guardian arms o'er fallen braves, 
Hath this redeeming quality, — 
It teacheth strength and loyalty. 

And yonder by the roadside old, 
A little building, dark and cold; 
Within its walls, on wintry morn, 
Are ranged the urchins quite forlorn. 

And Reading, Writing first begins 
The day's perplexities and dins. 
Arithmetic is next in line. 
And on its fundamentals dine. 



23 



Geography comes number three 

And life-conditions teacheth thee; 

While Grammar shows the reasoning soul, 

And History great deeds extol. 

Thus windows of the soul do ope, 
To look upon a world of hope; 
To view a tender father's care, 
Providing for his child and heir; 
To scan the labors of mankind, 
So. true, so noble, so refmed. 



The business of the school program 
Lies in investigations calm, 
Whose silent power the world commands, 
And meets necessities demands. 

This highest method of school work. 
Believe me, thou must never shirk. 
For greatest mental exercise. 
Vain babblings substitute, and lies? 



24 



Breathing out threatenings as of old, 
Against the dear lambs of his fold; 
And trembling destinies from God, 
By arrogance turned to a clod? 



3 Behold him, sitting on a rock 
In calm reflection. Shall v/e mock 
Because at fountain pure he delves 
For knowledge, — in the things themselves? 

Philosopher of ancient days, 

Aristotle, thee we praise. 

In reals thou didst find the power 

That smote the darkness of the hour, 

And gave to mind a healing balm, 

The harbinger of love's sweet calm. 

Another see, long hours of night 
Alone, and with the stars for light; 
Recording facts and data clear, 
Tycho Brahe, as Kepler's peer. 
We'll honor both for laws that prove 
Our Earth in God's eternal groove. 



25 



O, fellow teachers, is it naught 
That men as chattels shall be bought 
And sold; that youth and beauty low 
In grave of debauchee shall go? 

Awake! Responsibility 
Doth shake the gates eternity 
Shall shut upon the stolid heart 
And say: *'I know you not, depart." 




26 



irnsttnct 

In woodland old my steps delayed, 
Where monarchs of the forest laid; 
A half-grown oak whose trunk I found, 
Full forty inches measured round, 

Into a perfect bow was bent, 
Its topmost branches downward went 
And trailed the ground, but quite decayed, 
Which violence to law betrayed. 

Although its trunk developed yet, 

Its crown in death was firmly set. 

And branches with their leaves reversed. 

All downward turned, with death were cursed. 

But those that upward straight did grow. 
Their leaves to light, no illness show. 
What freak indeed! Descending bent 
Is that which in the sunshine meant 



27 



To lift its crown so proudly high, 

And with its comrades dare to vie, 

In search of sunshine, freedom, air, 

That strength and long life it might share. 

1 stood in wonder, and, amazed. 
Incited thus, I closer gazed. 
And found that when a sapling, young, 
In height some fifteen feet among, 

The woodman's axe had lain low 
A com.rade tree, three yards or so 
Away it stood; a branch outsent 
Hook-shaped, and in its near descent 

The sapling caught in vice-like grasp. 
And there held down forever fast. 
Deformed and luckless, lol at bend, 
A stately branch did upward send, — 



28 



Obedience strong by nature forced, 
Another trunk, erect, endorsed; 
And thus did Instinct true assert, 
That ways aright none should avert. 

I see again, in vision clear. 
The old stone school house standing near 
Forks of a road that winding went 
Past cooling spring and woods that lent 

A charm to autumn with deep beds 

Of leaves heaped high o'er children's heads. 

Within, at end of room, a grate; 

In center, stove, and ranged in state 

Around the room, high over all, 
Were older pupils, while the small. 
On bench of backless slab would sit, 
And, comfortless, their tasks commit. 



One morn the master stood erect 
On humble platform to select 
Some hero whose fair life should reach 
The solemn lesson he would teach. 

And eloquently he did doff 
His learning on great Beecher, Gough. 
His face was grave, his gesture strong, 
His lecture good, and not too long, 

And I, an urchin small, *tis true, 
Said, "Master, master, what say you 
That I a John B. Gough shall be, 
With grateful honors heaped on me?" 

And to this instinct, strong, I cling, 
And resolutely do I sing. 
As opening windows of the soul 
Reveal my future life and goal. 

But Tom a traveler would be. 
And circumnavigate the sea; 
Look on old Erin's lovely green, 
Or eastward sail the sea between, 



And the Levant to wander o*er, 
In quest of ancient life and lore. 
Abydos, on the Dardanelles, 
If dress, utensils, all that spells 

Antiquity's true life to you. 
Thou seekest, here's the story true. 
A city old in Trojan war. 
Whereof we read Achilles bore 

Brave Hector's body round the walls 
Of Troy three times ere wrath recalls. 




31 



*'(Iome xanto /iDe** 

In that ever blessed story, 

When His journeyings delayed 
In the land of old Judea, Jordan near; 
How the Master's indignation 

Was so openly displayed, 
When Disciples grave rebuked the children, dear. 

And the cry of "don't," repression, 

With the Ages dieth not, 
But in hearts of hated arrogance is rife; 
Not the glad, exultant tonic, 

**Thee we sorrowing have sought," 
But "good riddance, sir, the pesterer of life," 

Is duty not made odious. 

And hatefully unkind, 
By the sombre guise that Learning doth assume? 
Give me heart, a healthful body, 

And a breezy, robust mind, — 
Not the sham life, nor the millions that entomb. 



32 



Then send the children school ward 

At bell-time in the morn, 
And let them go a-romping on the hill; 
With the gleeful shout of laughter 

More oxygen is borne 
Through the body every fibre thus to thrill. 




33 



trbe /IDessage^ 

Sitting near, with downcast features, 

Agnes pondered o'er the day; 
What had she, in word or action, 

Done to help in work or play? 

Others, to her Band belonging, 

Rose and spoke of great things done — 
How to heathen lands their prayers went, 

Far beyond the setting sun. 

But retiring, thoughtful Agnes, 
Just a little babe had soothed, 

While the mother's busy fingers 
Plied her daily task for food. 

"Since unto the least ye proffered 

Aid, to me also, your Lord; 
Come into my presence, Agnes, — 

'Tis to such a sure reward." 



34 



Here, O reader, lies the lesson, 
(For a little child shall lead) 

So may you, with neat devices, 
Minister to present need. 

Is the far, remote, more winsome 
Than the trifles lying near? 

On God's earth there is no trifle, — 
One design unites the sphere. 

In the low and the familiar 
Lie thought-regions unexplored; 

For to-day give me clear insight, — 
What can antique world afford? 




35 



Ht tbe Bri&ae 

I stood on the bridge in the gray of morn, 
And mine eyes were upward cast, 

Along the lane where my buoyant steps, 
Two decades gone had passed. 

Far up the way among the hills 

Of Tyrone's stalwart crew, — 
Kings of the "plow and cow," worth more 

Than the treasures of Peru. 

Their sturdy sons no duties shirk, 

And daughters likewise wake 
Upon a day of tasks intent. 

The home life pleasant make. 

The day's work done, *neath candle glare 

The father opens the Book, 
And reads where once the ravens fed 

Him whom all else forsook; 



36 



Or how the blessed Carpenter 

Of Nazareth did share 
The work of artisan, and make 

His lines with utmost care; 

Or how the excellent, the best, 
First woman of the land, 

Not high in chair of state did sit, 
But held a mother's hand' 

To succor needy children five, 
Provide for future need. 

Her duties oft perplexing quite, 
But highest praise, her meed. 

Or how the world's great orator, 

Forensic Paul, did ply 
A handicraft, that nothing lack, — 

The needy help supply. 



37 



And thus the father kepi before 
Loved ones the maxim true: 

" Tlain living and high thinking' is 
The task for me and you." 




38 



Ube ITeacber^ 

To the level of a tinker 
With his rap, rap, rap. 

To such a little business, 
Shall I put my thinking cap? 

Are children no more 
Than blocks in a wall? 

Says the famous Professor, 
^Thaf s all, all, all." 

But a tinker we can hire 

For a very little sum. 
Says the wily Professor, 

"A greedy mouse is come." 

But won't the School Board 
Soon tire of such sop? 

"Then to the other party 
I'll flop, flop, flop." 



*'You see Tm right in it, 

And here 1 mean to stay, 
(To the with the children) 

Till I am old and gray." 




40 



Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Here thy weary limbs shall rest, 

Home, sweet home; 
Glad relief from earnest quest, 

Home, sweet home. 
Though a mother thou hast none, 
Years ago her life was done, 
Yet to thee is mercy shown, 

Home, sweet home. 

Still for thee are mothers left. 

Home, sweet home; 
Thou art not entire bereft, 

Home, sweet home; 
Who will wipe away the tear. 
Gently smooth thy pillow, dear, 
While the angels hover near, 

Home, sweet home. 



41 



Keep it ever pure and bright, 

Home, sweet home; 
Still a guardian beacon light, 

Home, sweet home; 
Many a wandering life reclaim. 
By thy cup, from deeds of shame, 
Of cold water in His name. 

Home, sweet home. 

Bless the generous hands that gave 

Home, sweet home; 
Such a gift and such to save. 

Home, sweet home; 
Bless the hearts that treasure him*, 
Let his memory not grow dim, 
By the souls he won from crime 

Home, sweet home. 

♦Thomas P. Druit, Founder of News-Boys Home. 



42 



Ube H)eserteb ©rave 

While sauntering o'er the hills one day, 
I spied a lone grave by the way. 
Two old gray stones of queer grimace, 
Marked the departed's resting place. 
No trace was left of day nor year, 
Nor even did the name appear. 
So long were these old ensigns raised, 
That frost and rain all had effaced. 

Perhaps a rich man learned and great. 
Here lies unwept and desolate; 
Another, though unlearned and poor. 
Where now his ashes lie secure, 
May once have trod in peace profound 
The grass his grave now garlands round; 
May be a maiden, fair and young. 
Hath here her burdened life laid down; 
A husband or a patient wife. 
May here have ceased their earthly strife. 



43 



Suffice to say that here there lies, 
Deeply hidden from human eyes, 
In this unhonored, unkept goal, 
The casket of a human soul. 
And here twill lie, silent, alone, 
Its tenement all over grown, 
'Till on the wings of seraphs borne 
To Christ on resurrection's morn. 




44 



5rfen5sbip 

Afar in Afric, torrid, 

They say are deserts vast, 
And travelers on the mighty waste 

Are joyful when at last, 

O'ercome with weary watchings, 
Their lingering footsteps drag. 

Till parched and shimmering landscape 
Reveals the reed and flag, 

And brook of sparkling water, 

God's alchemy hath made 
To greet the toil-worn traveler 

'Mid palms of soothing shade. 

E'en so, a dear friend met me 

Just at the foot of hill. 
Up which a trembling pilgrim 

Was toiling with a will. 



45 



A generous hand extended, 
The coin of gold he spared, 

And, lo! the burden lifted,— 
A brother's woe had shared. 

Sweet peace attend thee ever. 
Friend of my darkest day; 

Though desert vast confronteth me. 
Oases by the way. 




46 



Xfnes 

Dearest treasure, thou hast left us, 
And our loss we deeply feel, 

But 'tis God that hath bereft us, 
He can all our sorrows heal. 

Though thy voice I hear, no, never. 
Solemn words of love to cheer; — 

"Go to the Word," yes, darling ever. 
Rings that admonition clear. 

"Go to the Word," yes. Darling ever, 
Sweet forgiveness there 1 fmd; 

Comfort, too, and faith the clearer, 
And true healing of the mind. 

Soon, aye, soon shall we not greet thee, 
In that home prepared above? 

There, in richest songs of glory, 
Ever chant redeeming love. 



47 



/BifSBionat^ an^ /IDart^r 

Saved, saved, saved, 
Live, live, live. 

Live more abundantly the Prince of Peace 
Saith, then with thy superabundant life 
Go forth, divine-souled man, enter the hut 
Of pain, and the drooping spirit upward 
Springs, just as a magnet gives to matter 
Wings; to gambling den where vice doth lurk, and 
The flash of thine eye, like Cyclopean 
Darts, shall blind its inmates; to the miser 
Hugging his gold and lo, he cries: "This the 
Lord hath lent me, and His own with fullest 
Usury will exact of me; to the 
Room where the infant's breath doth first fan the 
Mother's pallid cheek, and "The Lord hath my 
Petition given which I asked of Him.' " 



48 



1805 Centennial ®&e 1905^ 

(To Connellsville.) 

Hark! I hear the tramp of thousands, 

And of swarthy men the hum; 
Lol from great Atlantic's seaboard 
'Cross the Alleghenies come. 
Says the drum, 
Freemen, come! 
Ere your heritage be wasted, to the 
Youghiogheny, come. 

Do not falter, my brothers. 

Though you love your ancient home 
On the shore of Old Atlantic,— 
To the westward you should come. 
Says the drum. 
Freemen, come! 
To the turbulent, pure waters of the 
Youghiogheny, come. 



49 



When we've crossed the wall of mountains, 

What advantage springs therefrom? 
Greater ills to us may happen 
In our chosen western home. 
Says the drum, 
Freemen, come! 
Naught can harm you by the waters of the 
Youghiogheny, come. 

What if, answering your summons, 

We should disappointed come? 
Forever hence your counsel. 

And for you own hearts be numb! 
Says the drum, 
Freemen, comie! 
To the richness of the valley of the 
Youghiogheny, come. 

Thus they answered, doubting, fearing, 

Yet they ventured one by one; 
Until lo! a host assembled. 

And still they comae, they com.e! 
Says the drum. 
Freemen, come! 
To the center of the valley of the 
Youghiogheny, come. 



50 



jfort Pitt 1 

Inscribed to the Pittsburgh Chapter Daughters 
of the American Revolution. 

Thy walls, designed to stay 
'Gainst the weapons of decay, 

Not in vain, 
Amidst such force profound 
As doth scatter death around, 

Dare remain. 

Yet we will not betray. 
Nor decrepitude gainsay, — 

Thou art old. 
Twice three score years and ten, 
We are face to face with men 

Long extolled. 

When French soldiers in deploy 
Once maneuvered to destroy 

Thy stronghold. 
And break these ancient walls. 
How duty loudly calls 

Britons bold. 



51 



Then rumbling flintlocks told 
Through embrasures, now so old, 

Grim defence; 
And Fort Pitt defiant yet 
Is the symbol we shall set 

'Gainst pretense. 

And, fair Daughters, thee we praise 
That her walls they did not raze— 

Gallant fort! 
Who in speculation's name 
Vandalism puts to shame. 

Cruel sport! 

But posterity ordains 

And this landmark still remains, 

For though we. 
Ever in full tide of truth, 
At the portal shall our youth 

Vanquished be? 

Nay not so, but they must reap 
Knowledge pure at fountain deep. 

Reals know. 
Then their own thoughts to respect, 
Honest statesmen we'll beget, 

Wrong o'er throw. 

52 



So a pilgrimage we take, 
Thee a yearly visit make, 

Love to tell; 
As through thy door we spy, 
Hear again the sentry's cry, 

''All is well." 






53 



/iDarseilles' 

"Cities have preserved human liberties,'^ 

—Thorpe. 

Prologue. 

Tourist, with eager footsteps, 

O'er beaten paths we'll go. 
To Flanders and the castled Rhine, 

To Or-le-ans, Bordeaux, 

Gren noble and adown the Rhone 

To famous Vieux Port, 
And well this humble story 

With records doth comport. 



^6 



With awe and reverence mingled 

I hear the sad refrain, 
The deep-toned diapason, 

The requiem of the slain. 



54 



'Tis the story of Oppression, 

Of man's inhumanity, 
Which in clear reverberation 

Down the ages, haunteth me. 

2 In Strabo's lucid pages, 

There's a sentence makes me pause, 
For it tells the dreaded story 

Of Persia's ancient laws. 

It tells us that Massilia, 

The door-way of the Rhone, 

Was founded by the Phocions, 
Forced from their native zone, 

On the shore of old Aegean, 

In Asia Minor's land, — 
A lordling's slaves, no never! 

'Neath Croesus' iron hand. 



55 



And thus these hardy Phocions, 

Three thousand years ago, 
Drew up a Declaration 

Of Independence, so: 

They gathered in assembly, 

And chose as leaders three, 
Then Damon, the good Prophet, said, 

"We'll go where we are free;" 

*'We can but perish if we go, 

We'll perish if we stay; 
There's a just God who rules the storm. 

And guides the pilgrim's way." 

So said, their goods collected, 
The boats are anchored near. 

They go aboard, and, stealthily. 
The thud of oar grows clear. 



66 



And out upon the roaring deep, 
They wave a last good-bye, 

Resolving rather than return 
They do prefer to die. 

At Cypress island some relent. 

And turn again to try 
To pay the heavy tribute 

Of a grim old Monarchy. 

But sterner stuff was Damon, 
3 And the brave Philogenes, 

Who paused not till dim they saw 
The Pillars of Hercules. 

And soon they sighted Sicily, 
And then Sardinia greet, 

And next in open battle 
Meet the Carthaginian fleet. 



57 



The enemy they routed, 

And, proceeding on their way, 

They find the friendly shelter 
Of a calm and spacious bay. 

They anchor and most eagerly 
Do scan the country round, 

And signs quite unmistakable 
A settlement have found. 

A tent is quickly fashioned. 
And then the evening meal, 

And round this ancient fireside, 
The Prophet speaks their weal: 

'The dew of heaven," said he, 
''Earth's fatness shall be thine. 

And thou shalt have in plenty 
Full store of corn and wine." 



58 



"Rich silver mines which natives 
Have roamed for ages past, 

To thy ingenious labor 

Shall yield her treasures vast.'* 

4 "And artisans thy sons shall be 

Of skill and high renown, 
Their wares and wines will carry 

To every northern town/' 

"And thou shalt wall thy city, 

Full eighty feet in height; 
Strong gates and towers shall guard it 

From foes by day and night." 

"And be this city founded 

In freedom for all time, 
With equal justice to the rich 

And poor, by law Divine." 



59 



Then Damon ceased, and, kneeling, 

In humble gratitude 
For this dear land of promise, 

Thanked the Father, kind and good. 

"Civitas libra," Latin name:— 
The books you've read will tell, 

How Philip, king of Macedon, 
Besought its aid, as well, 

He argued with them boldly, 

"To punish Persian greed. 
Who wished again to dominate. 

And vassal them indeed." 

How Hannibal's quick marches 

Outwitted Scipio, 
Who wished at Rhone to stop him, 

Ere he crossed to Alpine snow. 



60 



How in a naval battle, 

5 Rome's legions put to flight 
The ever brave Massilians 

When sore had been the fight. 

With turrets and with vineae, 

6 Trebonius scaled their wall, — 

But hearts like theirs could not subdue, 
Though dungeons should enthrall. 

"Without our aid, Rome never 

Transalpine Gaul had won; 
And now thy captives, — spare us, 

thou illustrious one!" 

Spake Caesar: "Thou divinest 

Aright my clemency; 
Thine ancient honor speaketh, 

Tree city' still shall be." 

And when De Lisle the words proclaimed 

A nation to entrance. 
For Marseilles' earnest lads they named 

7 The national air of France. 



61 



And so through all her history, 
Marseilles has valiant been 

For duty, friendship, freedom, 
A true home life to win. 

As, when from Elba fleeing, 

Napoleon the Great 
Thought of his aged mother, 

And to see her could not wait; 

But to Marseilles he hastened, 
And there beside her knee 

The statesman was forgotten, 
'Twas her boy she longed to see. 

And now, Marseilles, we leave thee. 

Of Tyre and Sidon thou, 
The younger sister, greeting, 

To thee our humble bow. 

But Tyre and Sidon vanished. 
The years give strength to thee, — 

The Beautiful, the Golden, 
The City by the Sea! 



62 



IRfng HltreC) to Ibis Uroops^ 

Though vassals, yet defiant still, 

Accepting not defeat, 
Allies assembled, from their king, 

With joy his message greet: 

'Tor us 'tis death or victory, 
Now, soldiers, with our swords 

We'll vindicate our country's cause, — 
Our battle is the Lord's. 

"For freedom, equal justice to 

The rich and poor, and law 
Divine, — this cordon old 

Must stand without a flaw." 

"Oh, men, shall knowledge perish here. 

And the future blighted be 
By a nation of marauders 

That the present only see?" 



"Shall Guthrum in fee simple hold 

Through savages our land? 
Shall we his vassals still remain, 

His tribute not withstand?" 

"Shall grim idolatry disgrace 
The homes we long have known? 

Where once the hymn of praise was raised, 
Now, gods of brass and stone?" 

"By all for which our fathers lived, — 

Sweet visions of the past; 
By the dangers which confront us, — 

Please God they may not last;" 

"And by our own posterity's 

Dread heritage of woe, — 
Arise, ye sons of England, rise! 

With swords crush every foe." 



64 



The king advanced, with steady gaze 
He held his sword on high; 

"Now, from this marshy fastness burst, 
The foe shall turn and flyl" 

The unsuspecting Danes have met 

Disastrous surprise. 
The battle a great triumph 

For King Alfred and allies. 

All glory be to England's chief. 

Who thus, at Ethandun, 
Unsheathed his sword for justice, 

And peace with honor won. 



# 



65 



IFrom Hcorn to ©aft^ 



"Freedom's battle once begun, 
Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, 
Though baffled oft is ever won/' 

— Byron. 



o*' 











Part I. 

In adamantine bonds of hate, 
Shall tyrants still condone their fate? 
Shall doomed Honor bear the gyve 
Prerogative, of knaves the hive? 



66 



This solemn truth we hold: he's free 
Who has determined so to be; 
And this, that honor comes to none 
Except for valorous duty done. 

"Granite State," thou canst bestow 
Defiance, as thy name doth show. 
The chivalry of ancient days 
Doth rankle in the breast always. 

The treasured Past, in memory kept, 
Our hearts to Right shall tune and set. 
And ages yet unborn shall learn 
Thy gallant deeds in History's urn. 

With sturdy step the Old Bay State, 
Comes forth her story to relate, 
Whose boast is ancient Plymouth Rock 
And hardy Anglo-Saxon stock: 



67 



"Exactions wrong, England aroused, 
Exile her spirits brave espoused. 
They breast Atlantic's threatening wave 
A home to find which freemen crave. 

"The voyage done, the Mayflower lay 
At anchor in old Cape Cod bay. 
They step ashore, and Plymouth gave 
To slavery a fmal grave." 

Rhode Island hear: "I'm small yet great 
In heroes, noble men of state. 
In French and English wars there came 
To General Greene deserving fame. 

"And this you'll please not fail to note, 
In deference to my size and vote, — 
The nation's hive of industries 
Gives me first rank in factories." 



68 



Connecticut's good Sachem said: 
"Come out with us, we'll give you bread." 
At once the cry from Winthrop's state, 
"Ho, westward, and a claim we'll stake!'* 

So to Connecticut they go, 
Away out west 'twas then, you know. 
And thus the Nutmeg State is found 
With the old thirteen in union bound. 

Brave General Putnam who'll deride, 
In leather shirt his plow beside? 
Spirit that scorns as slaves to die 
Unsheathed his sword for Liberty. 

And thus New York: "Shall I disclaim 
To tell of my great Empire's fame? 
To sing of Adirondack's hill 
And silver Hudson rolling still? 



"Of freedom my brave sons bereft, 
In haste their uncut grain fields left, 
To face in arms a foe most stern, 
Grim Hessians, hired to kill and burn. 

"Forward; they cry, to victory, on! 
Afar their burnished bayonets shone. 
Long Island's day. Long Island's fray, 
In memory shall live for aye. 

"They fought and bled and died unknown. 
From pallid lips escaped a groan, 
And stiff hands clasped the crucifix. 
That fatal day of 76." 

New Jersey, first the Dutch doth gain, 
And next joined England's great domain. 
In seventeen hundred thirty-eight 
She was divorced from New York State. 



70 



Spake Pennsylvania: "This by fate 
The old republic's central state. 
Ring out to all on land and sea 
For me, old bell, sweet liberty. 

"Here once the Red Men toiled for gain. 
They tilled the soil but did not deign 
To add to life (conclusion wise) 
What contribution underlies. 

"Ere long another era came 

And with it Wants imperious claim. 

Then Miners deft remove the shelf, 

And spindles yield the white man's pelf." 

And Delaware: "I'm somebody, 
The first stripe in the flag's for me." 
Then Maryland: "Remember aye, 
2 My veterans on Long Island's day." 



71 



What's in a name, the poet cries, 
Historic facts the school replies. 
Who, sixteen seven, holds the helm 
Of state o'er all the English realm? 

For good Queen Bess I'm named. I gave 
More valiant sons to fight the knave 
Of English politics, Lord North, 
Than any other state, in troth. 

A crisis — seventeen seventy-five— 
The Union spirit kept alive 
The spark, incarnate from the sod. 
That ever smites the Oppressor's rod. 

'Twas then that Jefferson the Great, 
3 The Paper wrote that conquered fate, 
(Which Parliament had deftly billed)— 
Our treasured Past not unfulfilled. 



72 



Then calmly spoke the Land of Pine; — 
"I once did on Cornwallis dine." 
And old Palmetto said anon: 
"Home of the Swamp Fox Marion." 

My name is Georgia, and I came 

From George II. by my name. 

In London, modern Babylon, 

A poor man's rights were once unknown. 

Homes in this goodly land were found 
For debtors, then in prison bound. 
My acres broad, like sheltering arms, 
A refuge sure from dread alarms. 

With this doth end my simple lay, 
And now, ere you go out to play, 
Rem.ember, dear, e'en in your youth, — 
Link the Old Thirteen with sacred truth. 



73 



Part II. 
4 'Tis eighteen four and the decree 

From Jefferson is plain, 
'To find a path to western sea 

Across the broad domain," 

Just purchased from Napoleon, 
But why they could not see; — 

Of value, 'twas esteemed by none — 
A desert thought to be. 

But Jefferson, with wisdom crowned, 
Had planned, with foresight keen, 

An exploration most renowned 
This country yet has seen. 

And like the Dioscuri twins 
In search of Golden Fleece, 

In modern story now begins 
The Argonaut's release. 



74 



And Lev/is, able, vigorous, 

His comrade Clark the Bold, 
Tv/in sons of Leda, hath for us 

The Desert's secret told. 

And forty men, an army small, 

To them the way shall teach 
To Colchis, not the mystical, 

But harder far to reach. 

'Tis May 14, the sail they hoist. 

The men to oars are bent; 
With rhythmic beat and sweep they voiced 

A song, as on they went. 

V/here St. Charles City now controls, 

In rustic garb they see 
A village of four hundred souls, 

An infant colony. 



75 



And Kansas river soon is passed; 

They note the hills and plain, 
Where a great city now is cast, 

A central mart for grain. 

And next St. Joseph's site they greet, 

And Atchison foresaw; 
^ And round the point the little fleet 

Imaged great Omaha. 

And on the height of Council Bluff, 
Where cozy homes now rise, 

A pow-wow with the chieftain's gruff, 
Held 'neath the open skies. 

The men paraded, flag displayed, 
From bales were drawn forth 

Gay blankets, red coats, medals made 
First, second, third in worth. 



76 



And through interpreters find home, 
With "Mahas" lasting peace 

For Uncle Sam, to whom had come 
Their land's perpetual lease. 

But brief the pause, and beat of oar 
Marked council at an end. 

The shallow waters gliding o'er 
While favoring winds attend. 

As sheet, with life of every kind. 

In Peter's vision shown, 
On every stretch of land they find 

Abundance there has grown. 

For swarming life hid plains so vast, 

Deer, antelope, and bear; 
As shaggy buffalos ford past, 

The boatmen pause and stare. 



77 



They pass the Rockies, scour the plain, 

On fair Columbia row, 
Stand awe-struck as a view they gain 

6 Of giant peaks of snow. 

At Portland they distinctly feel 

The heavy pulse of sea, 
Astoria, reached, will then reveal 

To them the utmost lea. 

And here a pause, the tale is told. 
They're wet with surf of sea; 

The way is oped to lands of gold, 
An Eldorado free. 

As Castor, Pollox, Leda's twins, 

For stars are set in praise; 
Revered for aye is he who wins 

His country's grateful lays. 



78 



Part III. 
The sun poured down his blazing darts, 

The by-standers galore 
And the long train, from home and hearts, 

The happy travelers bore. 

Full swift the wheeled palace glides, 

And silently as falls 
The snowflakes on Potomac's sides 

Where shrill the whistle calls. 

With goodness in his manly heart 

Soft falls affection's eye. 
As up and down this m.oving mart 

The President goes by. 

'Midst native loveliness we dart; 

Lo! now, in swiftest flight, 
7 Attractions scenic fill the heart 

With rapturous delight. 



79 



A quaint old village, Charlotteville, 
Is neared, 0, hallowed thought! 

By Monticello's sacred hill, 

With precious memories fraught. 

Of Independence, thou the page 

Didst write for all oppressed; 
Emancipator of the age, 

Great Father of the West. 

On, on we go, and soon our band, 

Will o'er prairies roll. 
For Mississippi, there's a hand, 

New Or-le-ans, a soul. 

s These meadow-lands speak plainly, how, 

Far back in olden day 
The Gulf to Arctic Sea did plow 

A central ocean way. 



» And, too, these open fields so fair, 

The Colonists supply. 
With forests dense, — for commerce ware;- 

Kind Nature heard their cry. 

i<5 And now Cabildo's ancient crest 

Is seen. Of long ago 
Thy massive walls doth well attest: 

"Once on a time," you know, 

"In coon skin caps and leather shirts, 

Flatboatmen from the west, 
(To camp-fire life with joy reverts) 

Begin their annual quest. 

"Down every current, channel, stream 

To the mother river float. 
Their long gunwales with richness teem 

From fabled lands remote." 



81 



Well said, my generous, kindly host; 

"Young men as giants stand?" 
We'll see the country where you boast 

The streams roll golden sand. 

On, on, the train is speeding fast; 

Los Angeles we spy; 
And San Francisco's here at last, — 

A battle-ship is nigh. 

See, see, the President aboard, 

With him a lady fair, 
Ohio she is christened, Lord 

Protect her is my prayer. 

With gladness we resume our ride, 

(Transcontinental tour) 
By Great Salt Lake we smoothly glide 

Then through an open door, 



82 



Out on the plains, a long, long way, 
This grand "hotel on wheels" 

Speeds onward still without delay. 
Serving its daily meals. 

And now 'tis "Home Sweet Home" at last, 

Ten thousand miles a-wheel; 
i^rom ocean unto ocean vast 

A Continent reveal. 

With Soul Divine, with heaven rife, 

The All-Father bespoke,— 
Inspirer of the nation's life— 

The Acorn and the Oak. 




83 



IRotes* 

THE TASK. 

NOTE 1. 

These lines may be profitably employed as a 
guide to reading clubs formed for the purpose of 
child study, or for the study of mental science 
in general. 

NOTE 2. 

Advanced thought on the science of education 
is ventured here. There should be nothing sin- 
ister in the work of education. I have tried to 
perform, humbly, a little service towards "lead- 
ing captivity captive" by stating, in clear and at- 
tractive form, the science of education, thereby 
arming the reader against the growing commer- 
cialism of the day, as contrasted with the inner 
and not less important manifestations of mind 
and heart. 

NOTE 3. 

A very excellent view of the life and works of 
Aristotle may be obtained from the Century 
Company's recent publication, "Alexander the 
Great," by Benjamin Ide Wheeler, for many 
years Professor of Greek in Cornell University, 
now President of the University of California. 

85 



THE MESSAGE. 

NOTE 1. 

This piece strikes at the tap-root of character 
— enlightened Will free and untrammelled. The 
poem "Missionary and Martyr" bears a similar 
meaning. They are in perfect accord with ap- 
proved pedagogy. 



86 



THE TEACHER. 

NOTE 1. 

Reference is here made to those teachers who 
have absconded from 
"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, 
And all the sweet serenity of books," 
and have betaken themselves to the worship and 
affiliations of the Stone lamge — Avarice. 



87 



CENTENNIAL ODE. 
(To Connellsville.) 

NOTE 1. 

In the year 1795, Zacharia Connell prepared a 
deed for the land and the original plot of Con- 
nellsville, and entered them on record at Union- 
town, the county seat of the newly (1783) erected 
county of Fayette. In 1805 Connellsville was 
constituted a borough, and the necessary charter 
was granted by the State Assembly at Harris- 
burg. Boundaries of original plot of Connells- 
ville: North, by North alley; east, by East alley; 
south, by South alley; west, by Yough river. 
Since 1805 the boundaries have gradually ex- 
tended. 



L.ofC. 88 



FORT PITT. 

NOTE 1. 

Asked what inspired the writing of the poem, 
'Tort Pitt/' I unhesitatingly answer — gratitude! 
For a score of years I had read in the city papers 
occasional items concerning the "Old Block 
House at the Point." From these items I formed 
the opinion that the old Fort strongly resembled 
a tumble-down shed or bake oven. How, then, 
can I express my astonishment when, on the 
afternoon of September 27, 1903, my eyes first 
fell on old Fort Pitt! Standing one and a half 
stories high, in the center of am.ple, well-kept 
grounds, strong-walled, well-i-oofed, the whole 
enclosed by a high, noble iron fence, with lofty 
arched gate entrance — all suggestive of stability, 
permanence. This idea of strength, perpetuity of 
service to advancing generations, is the feeling 
that dominated my mind when, on the morning, 
of Sept. 28, the poem was written. Simultan- 
eously v/ith this "News-Boys Home" was com- 
posed. 



MARSEILLES. 

NOTE 1. 

These lines suggest the study of mankind as 
a whole, not in detached fragments. It will be 
observed that true historical perspective is pre- 
served. 



NOTE 2. 
Bullion^s Latin Reader, Page l55, Chap. 4. 

NOTE 3. 

In the use of these names there need be no 
controversy as to historical veracity. Philogenes 
and Damon were the two Athenian guides who, 
about 800 B. C, led a band of emigrants from 
Phocis, in Greece, and founded Phocaea, most 
northern of the lonion cities, on the coast of 
the Aegean Sea. Its advantageous position be- 
tween two good harbors is pointed out by Livy 
(37, 31), and is the cause why devoted to mari- 
time pursuits. Herodotus expressly tells us that 
the Phocaeans were the first of the Greeks who 
undertook distant voyages to the Western Medi- 
terranean region and made known to their coun- 
trymen the coasts of the Adriatic, as well as 
those of the Tyrrhenia and Spain. By lineal 
descendants the names Philogenes and Damon 
could be extant in the year 605 B. C, the time 
when our story opens. 

90 



NOTE 4. 

The Massilians were noted in the manufac- 
ture of all kinds of implements of war. In uie 
invention and construction of the Ballistra they 
were especially skilled. 

NOTE 5. 

Caesar's Commentaries on the Civil V»^ar, 
Book I., Chap. 57, gives a complete account of 
this battle. It occurred the middle of Apr., 49 
B. C. 

NOTE 6. 

Caesar's Commentaries on the Civil War, 
Chaps. I.-XXII., inclusive, recites the story of 
this famous siege very minutely. The siege 
lasted 50 days, beginning Apr. 5, 49 B. C. 

NOTE 7. 

Marseillaise, the national song of France, was 
composed by De Lisle in 1792, both words and 
music being the work of a single night. When 
Barbaroux summoned the youth of Marseilles 
to Paris in 1792, they sang the song there with 
such ardor that the Parisians received it with 
transports, and, ignorant of its true origin, 
named it Hymne des Marseillaise, which name it 
has ever since borne. 



91 



KING ALFRED TO HIS TROOPS. 

NOTE 1. 

There is no purely human character so impos- 
ing as that of Alfred the Great. He stands alone 
and without a peer. The poem aims to help the 
reader grasp the great universal problems of the 
world — the things in which men's interest never 
dies. 



92 



FROM ACORN TO OAK. 

NOTE 1 

This poem carries forward the study of man- 
kind as a whole. To the rapidly diminishing 
ranks of the G. A. R. this poem is affectionately 
inscribed by the author. 

NOTE 2. 

In the battle of Long Island the total loss of 
the Americans was about 1,000 men. More than 
half of this loss fell upon Stirling's command; 
more than a fourth on the Maryland regiment 
alone. Stirling's command, "the flower of the 
American army," consisted of the regiment of 
Maryland and that of Delaware. They were 
large and well equipped, composed of the young 
sons of freeholders and men of property from 
Baltimore and its neighborhood. It was said of 
them: They flew at the enemy with "unparalleled 
bravery, in view of all the American Generals 
and troops within the lines, who alternately 
praised and pitied them." Washington wrung 
his hands as he exclaimed: "My God! what brave 
m.en must I this day lose!" Modern Thermopylae! 
this Maryland regiment the 300 Spartans. 

NOTE 3. 

This paper has been captioned, "Lord North's 
Proposal and Jeiferson's Reply.'* See Bank- 
roft's History of the United States, Vol. iv., page 

93 



245. Lord North's proposal, if carried into 
effect, would have completely prostrated colonial 
strength and union. Jefferson's paper exposed his 
invidious designs and cemented the Union more 
strongly. 

NOTE 4. 

In 1804, one hundred years ago, the United 
States acquired, by purchase from France, the 
vast territory known as Louisiana. At St. Louis, 
during 1904, this event, so momentous in our 
national history, is to be observed by a great 
exposition. The present poem derives peculiar 
interest from these circumstances. 

NOTE 5. 

The ''fleet" consisted of a ship and two large 
periaguas. The periaguas were mere ferryboats. 
The ship was 55 ft. long; 22 oars; decked fore 
and aft, like an ancient galley; and a mast upon 
which could be spread a great square sail. The 
Stars and Stripes floated at its head. Forty 
picked men embarked on the three craft. 

NOTE 6. 
Mount Hood and Mount Adams. 

NOTE 7. 

This part of the country south of Alexandria, 
along the Potomac river to Fredericksburg and 
beyond, is favored with special scenic attractions, 
and tourists all go to the "observation" to enjoy 
the sights. 

94 



NOTE 8. 

Shaler's Story of Our Continent, Pages 129 
and 82. 

NOTE 9. 
Shaler's Story of Our Continent, Page ll5. 

NOTE 10. 

In the city of New Orleans, facing the square 
and the monument to Jackson and the Missis- 
sippi River, stands the Cabildo, the massive 
building, erected during the Spanish regime. In 
this building there assembled the Spanish City 
Council, the council of the august Cabildo. In 
this building the Mayor of New Orleans and the 
Governor of Louisiana received President and 
Mrs. McKinley on their tour to the Pacific in 
April and May, 1901. 



96 



Supplementarv 1Rote 



FROM ACORN TO OAK. 
Questions. 

When, where and by whom was New Hamp- 
shire settled? 

Massachusetts? 

Tell all you can about the ''Pilgrims." 

Tell all you can about King Charles I. 

Tell all you can about Oliver Cromwell. 

When was the battle of Naseby fought? Why? 

Who were the Puritans? 

The Cavaliers? 

In what battles of the Revolution did the New 
Hampshire regiments perform distinguished 
service? 

Of what State was Gen. Putnam a native? 

In what battle, disastrous to the American 
cause, was he severely censured for rashness and 
incapacity? 

Of what State was Gen. Greene a native? 

Tell all you can about his early life before the 
Revolution. (See Bancroft's History.) 

In what way was Eli Whitney shown kindness 
by the v/idow of Gen. Greene? 

Of what State was Pinkeney a native? 

Give instances of his courage? 

Tell all you can about Edward Rutledge. About 
James Madison's early life. (See Bancroft's 
History, Vol. v., pages 259-60.) 

Give instances of Gen. Marion's courage. 

Have you read Bryant's poem, "The Song of 
Marion's Men?" 

96 



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